Navigating Initial Conversations When Residents Inquire About Medical Aid in Dying

Includes a Live Web Event on 07/01/2026 at 11:30 AM (EDT)

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    • Individual - $45
    • Carmelite Home staff - $45
    • Sisters Aging Well Together - $45
    • AIG Staff - Free!
    • AIG Faculty - Free!

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Overview:

Medical aid in dying (MAID) has been legalized in 13 states and the District of Columbia, with over 38% of Americans now residing in a jurisdiction where MAID is or will soon be legally available. With Oregon and Vermont having no residency requirement, any American who meets eligibility requirements and can travel to those states has access to this option. Many patients who inquire about medical aid in dying do not follow through with it, and many have no intention of doing so but are asking for other reasons, ranging from merely desiring more information about their full range of treatment options to wanting to impress upon their family the extent of their suffering. Clinicians caring for individuals who may inquire about medical aid in dying need to be equipped to respond to such inquiries. Employers of faith-based organizations have an obligation to support front-line clinicians accordingly, including through education and policy development.

As a result of this presentation the participant will be able to:

  • Demonstrate compassionate, patient-centered responses to inquiries about medical aid in dying.
  • Describe how the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care guide clinicians’ responses to questions about medical aid in dying.
  • Identify resources to support staff experiencing moral distress around medical aid in dying.

Credit Information:

Administrators (NAB)

This program has been approved for Continuing Education for 1.50 total participant hours by NAB/NCERS—Approval #20270630-1.50-A122633-DL.

Domains of Practice:
- 1B2 Person-Centered Care and Comprehensive Care Planning
- 2B3 Ethical Conduct and Standards of Practice
- 2C6 Professional Development 

Chaplains (NACC)

The National Association of Catholic Chaplains has approved this program for 1.5 Continuing Education Hours.

Social Workers (New York Only) 

Avila Institute of Gerontology, Inc. is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0265. Participants can earn 1.5 Contact Hours.

Social Worker CE approval is for New York State Social workers only. Other state licensees are not eligible to receive pre-approved credit.

Gregg Vandekieft, MD, MA

Gregg Vandekieft, MD, MA

Palliative Care Physician, Clinical Ethicist

Providence St. Peter Hospital

Dr. Gregg K. Vandekieft is a palliative care physician and clinical ethicist in Olympia, WA, who also served as a hospice medical director and small-town family physician for many years. He co-founded inpatient palliative care at three hospitals and an outpatient palliative care clinic. He is Medical Director for the Washington Rural Palliative Care Initiative and Clinical Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Washington. He received the 2018 Hastings Center Cunniff-Dixon Physician Award in the Senior Physician category and the 2017 Stuart J. Farber Award for Excellence in Hospice and Palliative Care.

Please click the link below to view the webinar flyer.

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